


let's kiss the past away (like new year's day)

by Rebellion042



Series: welcome to republic high [2]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hux makes an appearance, New Year's Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 21:05:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5600869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebellion042/pseuds/Rebellion042
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new year has never felt so good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let's kiss the past away (like new year's day)

**Author's Note:**

> Yay more seasonal fluff. 
> 
> Also more gay space babies.
> 
> Thanks to my awesome beta Rominey for putting up with both my and Google's stupidity at 1:40 in the morning. And for being really, really nice.

**_8:30pm_ **

“Tell me again why we’re going to a party?” Rey says as soon as Finn pulls up to her house.

“Because we’re normal teenagers that like that sort of thing.”

“Poe’s there, isn’t he?” she says knowingly.

He looks at the steering wheel. “Maybe.”

She rolls her eyes fondly and climbs into the passenger’s seat. “Only because I love you, Finn.”

She’s wearing a t-shirt dress with a belt, as fancy as she’s ever likely to be, and she turns on the radio to that alt-rock station she likes.

“Are you ever going to tell that boy you like him?”

Finn doesn’t answer.

 

**_9:30pm_ **

Rey is winning beer pong in the corner, a huge crowd gathered around her and cheering.

Finn steps outside to get fresh air; the house is hot and stuffy with too many people.

“You’ve only been here a half hour, you’d think she’d wait a bit,” Poe’s voice says behind him.

Finn glances over his shoulder as Poe joins him on the front steps.

“Nah,” he says. “She’ll say otherwise, but Rey’s the life of the party.”

“Especially when Jess is involved,” Poe remarks.

Finn nods in agreement. “Especially then.”

Someone goes speeding down the steps, singing loudly and off-key. She’s closely followed by her slightly-less-trashed friend. The two stumble and fall about twenty feet from the house, the sober one trying to catch the other.

“Another one bites the dust,” Poe says amusedly.

Finn laughs and swirls around the spiked punch in his cup that he hasn’t tried. He doesn’t care to.

“Finnnnn!” Rey yells from inside. “I’m WINNING!”

“I know, Rey!” he yells back, trying not laugh. “Good job!”

“You find Poe at midnight and you KISS him, okay?!”

_Christ._

He can feel his face heating up because wow, if anyone didn’t know he had a monster crush on Poe before, they do now.

Poe’s laughing next to him, but not in a mean way, and most people have ignored her comment in favor of her next turn at beer pong.

“It’s a good thing you’re not drinking,” Poe says. “Because Rey is trashed already.”

Finn laughs. “Yeah, she’s a bit of a lightweight.”

“Also, the punch sucks,” Poe adds.

Finn takes a sip. It tastes, miraculously, like raspberry-flavored shit. He tosses the rest of the cup into the grass.

The wind picks up and the warmth of the house has worn off, making it feel cold rather than refreshing outside. Finn rubs his arms a little.

Poe takes off his jacket and drapes it over Finn’s shoulders.

“You looked cold,” he says when Finn raises an eyebrow.

Not like he’s complaining.

“Poe!” Snap calls from inside. “We. Need. Assistance!”

Poe rolls his eyes. “Be right back,” he says, and tugs on the lapel of the jacket before going inside.

Finn tucks his face into the shoulder of the jacket and tries to bite back a smile.

The jacket smells of motor oil and cinnamon.

 

**_10:30pm_ **

Poe got caught up in Snap’s emergency and didn’t come back.

Finn doesn’t want to return the jacket, but knows he probably should before they leave.

When he rejoins the party, Rey walks over to him and leans her head against the fireplace mantel. There’s alcohol on her breath.

“You’re wearing Poe’s jacket,” she notes, and he can’t hold back a smile.

“Yeah.”

“…But you didn’t make a move,” she extrapolates. She can read his expressions so well; he doesn’t bother trying to hide things from her.

“No.”

She rolls her eyes. “Finn. It’s time.”

He looks at the ground.

“Hey,” she says, and tilts his chin up. Thank god she’s had water or she’d be impossible to hold a conversation with. “Just do this: find him at midnight, then kiss him at midnight. Easy.”

“You find Jess at midnight and kiss her, okay?” he counters, and she falls silent.

She looks him square in the face. “Fine. But you have to kiss Poe.”

“No, no. Rey, that wasn’t a challenge. I didn’t—“

“—Too late,” she says. “I dare you. You can’t turn down a dare.”

“Yes, I can,” he argues. “Rey, I can’t just walk up and kiss someone.”

“You can, and you will. I can, and I will. We’re doing this, Finn.”

She grabs his shoulders and pats them once, twice.

“Fine,” he says, and takes her hands off his shoulders, holding them. “I’ll try.”

 

**_11:30pm_ **

“So, what exactly happened?” Finn yells to Snap, who’s making more shitty punch in the kitchen.

The music has been turned up significantly in the past hour. The floor of the family room is shaking as people jump up and down to the bassline.

“Ben Solo and some douche from First Academy tried to bring their friends to crash the party.”

Finn shakes his head. “Ben needs to chill. Is Poe okay? He never came back…”

“Oh, yeah,” Snap says, but he’s pouring a little too much vodka into the punch bowl for Finn to trust the assessment. “He probably just got sidetracked talking to Ben’s mom. He’s always admired her; did you know that she was in the Air Force?”

“Cool,” Finn says, but he’s still worried. He pulls his phone from his pocket and texts Poe.

**you okay? snap told me what happened and i haven’t seen you for a while.**

He doesn’t respond for another ten minutes, which is enough time for Finn to get pulled into a game of “Never Have I Ever”. When his phone vibrates, though, he pulls it out and leaves the game.

**I’m fine. I kind of don’t have a ride, though.**

**i do.**

**where r u?**

**Finn…**

**Poe.**

**Sullivan and Holmes.**

**b there in 5.**

**Thanks.**

He is, and they drive back to the party.

“Thanks, Finn. I’m serious. I managed to talk Ben and company out of crashing the party, but he’ll be pissed at me for telling his parents.”

“Whatever,” Finn replies. “We all know he’s going through a phase. Changing your name to Kyle? Of all things?”

They laugh. When they get to the party, Finn checks his watch. It’s almost midnight.

Poe pulls him through the side yard of the house, and they sit on the dilapidated swing set in the backyard.

“Oh, I never gave you your jacket back,” Finn remembers.

Poe glances at it, at _him_ , and Finn’s face heats up.

“Keep it,” Poe says. “It suits you.”

“I couldn’t…”

The countdown starts inside.

_“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”_

Poe turns sideways in the swing. Finn does the same.

_“Six! Five! Four!”_

Their knees are bumping, and Poe grabs Finn’s hand.

 _“Three! Two!_ ”

“I like the jacket,” Finn says.

“I like _you_ ,” Poe says.

_“One!”_

 

**_12:00am_ **

Poe tastes like cinnamon and shitty punch.

Finn’s hands are in Poe’s hair.

Poe is cupping his cheek with one hand, pulling him closer by the jacket with the other.

Their noses bump.

Poe smiles into Finn’s lips and says, “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year,” Finn says back, and his lips on Poe’s, the jacket, the dare, the night, feel like a promise.

A new year has never felt so good.

 

(And if Rey is smirking with her arm around Jess, well. It was a good night for both of them.)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year, guys!
> 
> Here's to 2016...
> 
> *throws confetti and drinks champagne*


End file.
